Patty-forming apparatus with top feed and rotary pump

Abstract

The food product machine with a food supply, a rotary food pump connected to the food supply, a molding mechanism having a mold plate and a knockout drive, and a mold plate reciprocating between a fill and a discharge position. The knockout drive reciprocates a knockout plunger to discharge molded food products from the mold plate, the mold plate being reciprocated between a cavity fill position and a cavity discharge position. The machine includes a manifold connected an outlet of the food pump and having an outlet passageway connected to an inlet of the molding mechanism for filling the cavity of the mold plate. The machine can further include a fill plunger system for increasing the fill pressure of the food mass prior to filling the mold cavities. Plungers extend into the manifold to displace food mass volume and increase the pressure in the manifold.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A food product forming machine, comprising:
 a food supply; 
 a rotary food pump connected to the food supply; 
 a molding mechanism having a mold plate, the mold plate including a cavity and being reciprocated by a mold plate drive between a cavity fill position and a cavity discharge position; 
 a knockout drive for reciprocating a knockout plunger to discharge molded food products from a cavity in the mold plate; 
 a manifold connected to an outlet of the food pump and having an outlet passageway through which food mass is configured to pass toward the mold plate for filling the cavity of the mold plate; and 
 at least one plunger configured to extend into the manifold to increase a pressure of the food mass in the manifold, wherein the at least one plunger travels an extension distance, and wherein the extension distance of the at least one plunger is variable according to a desired pressure of the food mass. 
 
     
     
       2. The machine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a hopper for holding a supply of food product; 
 an auger system configured to deliver food product from the hopper downstream toward the rotary food pump. 
 
     
     
       3. The machine of  claim 2 , wherein the auger system has at least one feed screw located in the hopper and a feed screw drive configured to rotate the feed screw. 
     
     
       4. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the feed screw is located at a bottom of the hopper. 
     
     
       5. The machine of  claim 4 , wherein the feed screw is positioned horizontally in the bottom of the hopper and is configured to rotate and drive food product toward a front of the hopper. 
     
     
       6. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the hopper has an outlet at a front of the hopper. 
     
     
       7. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the hopper has an outlet that extends from a floor of the hopper upward at a front of the hopper. 
     
     
       8. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the hopper has a main hopper body and an outlet that extends forward of the main hopper body. 
     
     
       9. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the hopper has an outlet that encloses a forward portion of the feed screw. 
     
     
       10. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the hopper has a main hopper body and an outlet, and wherein the outlet has a connecting section connected to the main hopper body and a narrowing section extending from the connecting section opposite the main hopper body. 
     
     
       11. The machine of  claim 3 , wherein the feed screw drive is located outside of the hopper and is axially aligned and connected with a shaft of the feed screw. 
     
     
       12. The machine of  claim 11 , wherein the auger system has a plurality of feed screws and the feed screws are parallel to each other. 
     
     
       13. The machine of  claim 2 , wherein the auger system has a plurality of feed screws located in the hopper and are located adjacent to each other and adjacent to a floor of the hopper. 
     
     
       14. The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the manifold is connected to an inlet of the molding mechanism. 
     
     
       15. The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the pump is a positive displacement pump. 
     
     
       16. The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the pump has two rotors configured to create a vacuum between an inlet of the pump and the outlet of the pump when driven to rotate for drawing food product to the outlet. 
     
     
       17. The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the pump has two rotors, each rotor having at least two wings, each rotor has an area of rotation that overlaps with the other rotor. 
     
     
       18. The machine of  claim 17 , wherein the pump has a drive shaft and a driven shaft, the drive shaft has a drive gear at a first end and one of the rotors at a second end, the driven shaft has a driven gear at a first end and the other of the rotors at a second end; the drive and driven gears are enmeshed to operate the rotors in sync. 
     
     
       19. The machine of  claim 17 , wherein each rotor has open areas between the wings; and wherein one of the wings of one rotor operates in one of the open areas of the other rotor during a portion of an operation cycle. 
     
     
       20. The machine of  claim 1 , comprising a pump motor connected to a drive shaft of the rotary pump. 
     
     
       21. The machine of  claim 20 , wherein the pump motor is a servo rotary actuator. 
     
     
       22. The machine of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one plunger is a first plunger, the machine further comprising a second plunger configured to extend into the manifold to increase a pressure of the food mass in the manifold. 
     
     
       23. The machine of  claim 22 , wherein the first plunger and the second plunger move in synchronization. 
     
     
       24. The machine of  claim 22 , wherein the extension distance of the first plunger is a first extension distance, wherein the second plunger travels a second extension distance, and wherein the second extension distance of the second plunger is variable according to the desired pressure of the food mass. 
     
     
       25. The machine of  claim 24 , wherein the first extension distance and the second extension distance are the same.